PSU Field Hockey to open season on Wednesday

Sep 04, 2006

PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Another exciting season is on
tap for the Plymouth State University field hockey team, which has
made the post-season the past six years. The Panthers will open the
2006 campaign on Wednesday, Sept. 6, with a 4:00 p.m.
non-conference contest at Castleton State College.

The home opener is set for Saturday, Sept. 9 at 12:00 p.m. at
Arold Field, when the Panthers host Little East Conference rival
UMass Dartmouth.

PSU shared the LEC regular season title last year with a 9-2
mark, and finished with a 13-6 overall record. The Panthers
advanced to the ECAC New England Tournament for the third straight
season, getting knocked out in the semifinals at Mount Holyoke. PSU
is 54-7 against LEC opponents during the regular season the last
six years, and after winning three straight championships from
2000-02, the team has been upset in the LEC Tournament the past
three years.

Winning has been the standard for Plymouth State field hockey
since Bonnie Lord(left) took over as
head coach in 2000. The Panthers have combined for a 90-29 overall
record with three NCAA berths (2000-02) and three ECAC berths
(2003-05).

Included in PSU's 16-game regular-season slate in 2006 are 11
LEC contests. The conference tournament is set for the first week
in November, with the champion receiving an automatic bid to the
NCAA Division III Tournament.

2006 PSU Field Hockey Outlook

The Panthers have 11 returning veterans from last year's squad,
and while seven starters are gone, Coach Lord says this year's team
should again contend for the top of the Little East.

"We should be challenging for the top spot, no doubt," says
Lord. "Our strength, as always, is our defense and our balance. We
don't have any superstars; we have a team that works well together.
Our defense isn't going to miss a beat, and we have two veteran
goalkeepers back."

PSU will have to do without the top four scorers from last year,
who combined for 38 of the team's 57 goals, but Lord says this
year's squad has probably the best group of newcomers since she's
been here.

"We had a tremendous recruiting year," says Lord. "We have some
top players from some very strong high school programs. We're
excited about the newcomers, and we could see as many as five of
them in the starting line-up. We knew what we were losing, and were
able to fill those holes."

The Panthers have two juniors who can handle the load in goal.
Katie Randall (Portsmouth, N.H.) posted an 18-4
mark as a freshman before missing much of last season with illness,
while Leah Curtin (Londonderry, N.H.) posted a 9-3
mark last year as the starter.

"We build from the goal cage out, so it's nice to have two
veterans back there," says Lord. "We look for Katie to rebound and
return to the form of her freshman year."

Despite the preseason injury to senior co-captain Laurie
Allinson (Berwick, Maine/Noble), PSU should again have a
strong defensive unit, led by a group of three juniors.
Katie Barany (Middlesex, Vt./U-32) is a solid
returning starter from last year; Amy McGrath
(Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex Regional), who was a starter as a
freshman, is back after an injury kept her out all of last season;
and Rachel Kirschner (Burlington, Conn./Lewis S.
Mills) returns after missing all but six games in 2005 with
mononucleosis.

Coach Lord says several freshmen could also challenge for
playing time on defense, including Cortney
Colligan (Brookfield, NH/Kingswood), Melinda
Rozumek (Salem, N.H.), Katie Powers
(Chelmsford, Mass.) and Lindsey Hiltz (Manchester,
N.H./West). Senior Heather Corrigan (West
Hartford, Conn./Hall) could also be a factor on defense or in the
midfield.

Junior co-captain Heidi Hand (Portsmouth, N.H.)
returns to anchor the midfield. "She did an outstanding job last
year, and I expect that to continue," says Lord. Hand will be
joined in the midfield by a group of newcomers, led by sophomore
Ashley Gutowski (Conway, N.H./Kennett), a transfer
from Holy Cross, and freshman Katie Chase
(Goffstown, N.H.)

Senior co-captain Melanie Bates (Derry,
N.H./Pinkerton) and senior Amanda Spadafora
(Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) return to spearhead the offense. Bates has
scored 21 career goals and Spadafora tallied six goals in her first
season in 2005. Freshman Morgan Lemmon (Gilford,
N.H./Bishop Brady) has the inside track on a starting spot, while
freshmen Kerry D'Ambroise (Lowell, Mass.) and
Sarah Smith (Lexington, Mass.) and sophomore
Amanda Sherburne (Rumney, N.H./Plymouth Reg.)
could also be contributors.

"Our goal remains the same -- winning the Little East
Conference," says Lord, "and we believe we have a team that can do
that. It's have a hard-working group, and we're looking forward to
the season."